Gaming devices which provide players awards in primary or base games are well known. Gaming devices generally require the player to place or make a wager to activate the primary or base game. In many of these gaming devices, the award is based on the player obtaining a winning symbol or symbol combination and on the amount of the wager (e.g., the higher the wager, the higher the award). Symbols or symbol combinations which are less likely to occur usually provide higher awards.
In such known gaming devices, the amount of the wager made on the primary game by the player may vary. For instance, the gaming device may enable the player to wager a minimum number of credits, such as one credit (e.g., one penny, nickel, dime, quarter or dollar) up to a maximum number of credits, such as five credits. This wager may be made by the player a single time or multiple times in a single play of the primary game. For instance, a slot game may have one or more paylines and the slot game may enable the player to make a wager on each payline in a single play of the primary game. Thus, it is known that a gaming device, such as a slot game, may enable players to make wagers of substantially different amounts on each play of the primary or base game ranging, for example, from 1 credit up to 125 credits (e.g., 5 credits on each of 25 separate paylines). Accordingly, it should be appreciated that different players play at substantially different wagering amounts or levels and at substantially different rates of play.
Secondary or bonus games are also known in gaming devices. The secondary or bonus games usually provide an additional award to the player. Secondary or bonus games usually do not require an additional wager by the player to be activated. Certain secondary or bonus games are activated or hit upon an occurrence of a designated triggering symbol or triggering symbol combination in the primary or base game. For instance, a bonus symbol occurring on the payline on the third reel of a three reel slot machine may hit the secondary bonus game. Part of the enjoyment and excitement of playing certain gaming devices is the occurrence or triggering of the secondary or bonus game (even before the player knows how much the bonus award will be).
Progressive awards associated with gaming devices are also known. In one form, a progressive award is an award amount which includes an initial amount funded by a casino and an additional amount funded through a portion of each wager made on the progressive gaming device. For example, 0.1% of each wager placed on the primary game of the gaming device associated with the progressive award may be allocated to the progressive award or progressive award fund or pool. The progressive award grows in value as more players play the gaming devices and more portions of these players' wagers are allocated to the progressive award. When a player obtains a winning symbol or symbol combination associated with the progressive award, the accumulated progressive award is provided to the player. After the progressive award is provided to the player, the amount of the next progressive award is reset to the initial value and a portion of each subsequent wager on a gaming device associated with a progressive award is allocated to the next progressive award.
Gaming devices involving games of skill are also known. Such games of skill are popular among certain players because these players feel a competitive edge while playing. That is, these players enjoy the feeling that a personal strength could lead to them winning one or more awards at the gaming device. However, because these gaming devices incorporate one or more elements of skill as a factor of determining whether to provide any awards to the player, these gaming devices often cause concern for gaming regulators and, in some cases, are not as popular with lower skilled players who feel severely disadvantaged. Moreover, in these gaming devices, the probability of each award or outcome being generated is based on one or more aspects of player skill (which varies from player to player) which cannot be exactly determined and thus the average expected payout is not guaranteed to be the same from player to player. Accordingly, the average expected payout for such gaming devices often cannot be exactly determined but only determined within a range.
One potential problem with providing players opportunities to win progressive awards based on one or more aspects of the player's skills, is that lower skilled players are at a disadvantage relative to higher skilled players. For example, in a gaming system wherein players are provided opportunities to win a progressive award by achieving a score which exceeds a current high score in a game, lower skilled players may not be skilled enough to achieve a score which exceeds a relatively high score. Thus, in this example, only higher skilled players have an opportunity to win the progressive award. In a game where a player must achieve a score which exceeds an extremely high score, lower skilled players may be discouraged from playing because they do not believe that they have enough skill to achieve a score which exceeds the high score.
Another potential problem with providing players one or more opportunities to win progressive awards based on one or more aspects of those players skills is that higher skilled players can receive several consecutive opportunities to win the progressive award. For example, a higher skilled player can intentionally achieve a score which exceeds a high score in a game by a very small margin such that, in a subsequent play of the game, it would not be difficult for them to achieve a score which exceeds the high score from their previous game.
There is a continuing need to provide new and different gaming devices and gaming systems which incorporate one or more aspects of skill in determining which progressive awards are provided to players.
There is also a continuing need to provide new and different gaming devices and gaming systems as well as new and different ways to provide awards to players including bonus awards.